St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-01-01
IMAGINARY ILLS.


Qaeer NOTIONS Enters.ined By Many Timid
Men aud Women.
A young man hastened into drug
store on West Madison street the other
day, and with quick step was soon at
the side of the proprietor.
doctor" said he, addressing the
tire druggist. and speaking in rapid.
nervous voice which betrayed his ex-
element, "this little scratch on my
hand was made by rusty nal-it's
bothering me q good deal; you know
lock jaw comes in this way. Try and
fix mo up al right"
The physician looked at his patient
closely for moment and saw slender
young man about twenty-six years old.
with thin. delicate features. a smooth
skin. and long. slender hands "A
highly nervous Temperament" the
phys clan said to himself. then
glanced at the wounded palm
which had sent him his patent.
1t was little bruise about the size of q
half-pea, n dccp-red color in the center
where the skin had been torn and
fading into . pink shade toward the
sides.
''Sorc?" asked the physician.
"Well. not very painful" replied the
young man. ''only it bothers me.
scratched the palm Of my hand on an
old plank and got this. Of course it
doesn't amount to any thing now. but l
am afraid it might lead to lockjaw il
something amt done. I'd rather get
the start Of lockjaw than to have it get
the start of me. l want something to
head of that malady il possible"
The young man spoke with his accus-
toned rap dity. He was in an acute
nervous state.
You have something. doctor?" he
asked. and the physician replied:
''Oh. yes; I'll fix you out in no time. :"
The man Of drugs went behind his
counter. busted himself with a number
of big bottles for q brief while. then
emerged with q small vial in his hand
and told his patient to swallow tea
spoonful of the mixture once every few
hours and to come to the drug store the
next day and report how he was getting
along. The young man walked rapidly
away. and as he disappeared down the
street the physic'an an remarked:
"Now. he'll run to his room and
swallow that stuff rs tod him to do.
and it won't have any more effect on
him than SO much drinking water"
"Why," exclaimed the layman, who
was an eye-w' w'tness to the scene. ''isn't
that medicine intended to ward of lock-
jaw? That is what he asked for
Hell have no more lockjaw than
you." declared the drug man. in q
merry voice. .'Why. there is alb
solutely nothing whatever the matter
with him. That wound in his hand, .
mere scratch. He would never have
noticed it if he hadn't got hold Of some
blamed book or paper telling how easy
lock-iaw is caused. You saw how thin
he was, how excited he talked. Well.
the young man is constitutionally
nervous. He got that scratch on his
hand and his nervous fears at once con-
jurcd up the terrors of l0ckjaw, so he
posted off here to me.
IL had to do something for him,
though; if l didn't some one else
would. But the whole truth of the
matter is that his case simply illustrates
the truth of the old saying that = little
learning is a dangerous thing If he
hadn't read that silly stuff about lock-
Jaw and allowed his fears to get the
best of him he'd be several dollars
ahead Just now and in . much better
frame of mind. too"
''Do you have many such cases where
people come to you for the relief from
q danger that does not threaten them?"
Lots. The hydrophobia craze-or
crank is the better words represented
here every few days Men and women.
some of them with tiny scratch on a
finger which they say was caused by .
dogs tooth, want medicine to neutral
ize the poison they think is in their sys-
TENS. Half the time these scratches are
not made bv . dog 1t all. but the peo-
pie think they are, because possibly
they may have caressed . little dog
some time during the day. The other
half are deluded by fear, but they are
really concerned in having q physician
attend them. and. of course, that is
what am here for"
ANY other cases?"
'.Yes, the drunkard who thinks he is
going to have delirium tremens. The
nervous state following . debauch is
prolific of some exciting fancies. not the
least of which is that the victim believes
he is going to have tho jim-jams. These
eases, however, require medicine. v
CHICAGO NesC2